'Homefront' might as well surrender

With America in shambles, players join a resistance movement to fight off an occupying army in "Homefront: The Revolution."

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By Ross Edwards Given the long odds it took to even see the light of day -- including delays, unpaid wages and the original developer closing shop -- it's hard not to root for "Homefront: The Revolution."

Unfortunately, this jumbled mess of a first-person shooter from developer Dambuster Studios is weighed down by myriad technical shortcomings and an uninspired story.

"The Revolution," which is a re-imagining of the previous "Homefront" game, drops players into an alternate timeline that finds the United States on the brink of collapse. In this reality, a science and technology renaissance that began in the 1970s made North Korea the world's foremost supplier of gadgets and gizmos. And while the general population bought up all the recreational tech it could get its hands on, the American government did the same with North Korea's advanced weaponry.

When the U.S. defaulted on its debt, North Korea used a backdoor exploit to render all those fancy weapons useless, leaving America defenseless against the ensuing invasion by the Korean People's Army.

That's where "Homefront: The Revolution" picks up, with protagonist Ethan Brady and a small group of resistance fighters in Philadelphia trying to win back their freedom from the oppressive occupying force.

There's a lot of potential in the premise, though the campaign offers only brief glimpses of what might have been.

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A journal entry from a KPA soldier disillusioned with the mission and desperate to get home; a tense walk through a pristine portion of the city reserved for American collaborators, the streets paved red and propaganda banners dotting the skyline; an entire neighborhood walled off and filled with those deemed criminals by the KPA -- any one of these scenarios explored in greater depth could have made for an interesting, unique story.

Instead, players spend virtually all of their time running to and from firefights and capturing strike points to expand the resistance's reach.

From the look of things, virtually every inch of Philadelphia has been rocked by explosions, with the scenery varying from the gray rubble of crumbling buildings to brown rubble awash in clouds of toxic gas.

Despite the story's shortcomings, technical glitches are what truly derail "The Revolution."

Loading times are unacceptably long, the game freezes for several seconds every time it autosaves and, worst of all, some players have reported losing progress due to corrupt save files.

There's a heavy platforming element to exploration, but Ethan usually has to jump up and down several times before the game recognizes that he's trying to grab a nearby ledge. Movement produces a floating sensation, guns feel under-powered, and trying to control a motorcycle is pure misery.

To Dambuster's credit, there are some positive elements mixed in with the rest. Voice actors do an admirable job with the spotty dialogue they're given. Weapons and gear can be purchased and upgraded. Guns can even be customized on the fly; Ethan can turn what had been a crossbow a moment prior into a flamethrower when enemies draw near.

Even here, however, Ethan is limited to only three weapons at a time. I frequently guessed wrong when choosing my loadout for an upcoming mission, ending up stuck without a long-range gun when snipers were present, or forgoing the rocket launcher only to find an enemy tank bearing down on my position.

In the end, the biggest shame of "The Revolution" is that it feels so small. A handful of resistance fighters and a couple of figureheads from KPA leadership make up most of Ethan's interactions. Instead of a country-wide war, players wage battles in claustrophobic alleyways.

Even the ending is massively disappointing, leaving players to wonder how much they've really accomplished.

It's clear that "Homefront: The Revolution" could have been something special. For whatever reason, the finished product doesn't come anywhere near realizing that lofty potential.

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